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Majority of Torontonians favour bike lanes, new survey suggests

New Forum poll reveals that 70 per cent of respondents approve of bike lanes in Toronto.

Cyclist using the new bike lanes in August on Bloor just east of Bathurst. (Vince Talotta / Toronto Star) | Order this photo

By Alina BykovaStaff Reporter

Wed., Oct. 5, 2016

Seven in 10 Torontonians support bike lanes generally and a majority approve of the new lanes on Bloor St. W., according to a new Forum Research poll revealed this week.

The survey showed widespread support for bike lanes from multiple demographics that were surveyed, including people who drive, take public transit, bike and walk to work or school, those in different income and age brackets, and men and women alike.

Downtown Toronto and East York, where most bike lanes are located, had the highest approval rates, at 79 per cent in each region. North York’s approval rating was the lowest of all the regions surveyed, at 61 per cent.

“These lanes have obviously been something of a success, and even the majority of drivers favour them. This bodes well for more bicycle infrastructure if as ambitious a project as this can meet with so little opposition,” said Forum president Lorne Bozinoff.

Fifty-six per cent of those polled approved of the new bike lanes on Bloor between Shaw St. and Avenue Rd., a pilot project installed in August. The approval rating was slightly higher in the case of those surveyed in downtown Toronto, who were 63 per cent in favour of the bike lanes, and in East York, where 72 per cent were supportive.

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The poll revealed that more women surveyed approved of the Bloor bike lanes (62 per cent) than men (49 per cent). Out of all the age groups, people aged 18 to 34 approved of the bike lanes the most, at 67 per cent.

Not surprisingly, bike riders approved of the new lanes the most, at 92 per cent, while responses from drivers of cars and other vehicles were split quite equally — 45 per cent approved, 46 per cent disapproved.

The poll found that 52 per cent of respondents are in favour of expanding the bike lanes east, past Yonge St. to the Don Valley.

Who you supported in the 2014 mayoral election seems to offer a clue as your opinion of the Bloor experiment — 77 per cent of respondents who voted for Olivia Chow approved of the Bloor bike lanes, while only 38 per cent of Doug Ford supporters were in favour. (John Tory’s voters gave 53 per cent approval to the lanes.)

However, for many it’s a theoretical question: less than one-fifth of those surveyed (17 per cent) have ridden in the new bike lanes, and about half of respondents (52 per cent) have driven along Bloor the bike lanes have been installed.

About a quarter (26 per cent) of those surveyed said that traffic now moves slower along this stretch of Bloor, though this view is upheld more strongly by those who drive cars or other private vehicles (36 per cent), and those who voted for Doug Ford (38 per cent).

The poll was conducted on Sept. 30 by an interactive voice response telephone survey of 882 randomly selected Toronto adults. Results based on the total sample are considered accurate within three percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Where appropriate, the data has been statistically weighted by age, region and other variables to ensure the sample reflects the actual population according to the latest census data.

With files from Ebyan Abdigir

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